Category Archives: Science Resources

A category for posts that group books by topic or expanded writings on posts from other places, such as email newsletters or Twitter.

A Collection Of Books On The Science Of Climate Change

As part of its most comprehensive study of climate change to date, the National Research Council today issued three reports emphasizing why the U.S. should act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop a national strategy to adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change. The reports are part of a congressionally requested suite of five studies known as America’s Climate Choices.

In addition to these titles, we’ve picked related climate change titles—all of them available to read for free online.

Advancing the Science of Climate Change

Limiting the Magnitude of Climate Change

Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change

Related Books On Climate Change

Surface Temperature Reconstructions for the Last 2,000 Years

Informing Decisions in a Changing Climate

Global Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events: Understanding the Contributions to Infectious Disease Emergence: Workshop Summary

Potential Impacts of Climate Change on U.S. Transportation: Special Report 290

Antarctica: A Keystone in a Changing World

Ensuring the Integrity, Accessibility, and Stewardship of Research Data in the Digital Age

Understanding And Responding To Climate Change

The science of oil spills and oil spill dispersants

While you’ve no doubt been reading plenty of news about the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, we’d like to offer you a different kind of reading: five books we’ve picked from the NAP collection that deal with the science of oil spills and oil spill dispersal. All of these books are available to read for free in their entirety online.

Oil Spill Dispersants: Efficacy and Effects

Using Oil Spill Dispersants on the Sea

Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects

The Oil Spill Recovery Institute: Past, Present, and Future Directions

Cumulative Environmental Effects of Oil and Gas Activities on Alaska’s North Slope

Explore Free Case Studies from Surrounded by Science


Surrounded by Science: Learning Science in Informal Environments is designed to facilitate informal science learning. Based on the National Research Council study, Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits, this book is a tool that provides case studies, illustrative examples, and probing questions for practitioners. In short, this book makes valuable research accessible to those working in informal science: educators, museum professionals, university faculty, youth leaders, media specialists, publishers, broadcast journalists, and many others.

Surrounded by Science is filled with case studies of informal science activities. Here we present three of them for you to download at no cost. If you decide to replicate or adapt these activities for your own use, be sure to visit our Facebook page and let us know how it goes!

Research in Your Backyard: Participating in the Practices of Science

Download a free PDF of this case study

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celllab

Cell Lab: An Opportunity to Interact with Scientific Instruments

Download a free PDF of this case study

Culturally Relevant Exhibits for People with Disabilities

Download a free PDF of this case study

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February Focus on Energy

This month NAP is focusing on energy. Energy is a topic at the forefront of policy, the economy, and national security. Campaigns to “green” our way of life are everywhere you look. And by February, many of us have already encountered that shocking first heating bill of the season.

The National Academies Press has an abundance of resources–many of them free–to help you understand where our energy comes from; the advantages and disadvantages of various energy sources; our motivation to alter energy supply and consumption habits; and analysis of energy options for the future.

To kick things off, here is an energy primer, available for free in all formats: PDF, HTML, or printed copies for classroom use.

What You Need to Know About Energy

You can keep up with all of our planned activities and resources for the month by subscribing to e-mails, following us on Twitter, and becoming a fan on Facebook.

Disaster Recovery Resources: Help For Haiti and Beyond

In light of the tragedy following Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti, we wanted to shine a light on some of the resources on our site for dealing with the issues of disaster recovery and response. All of the publications featured below are available to read for free online, several of them have PDFs that can be downloaded for free by anyone, and most importantly, all of these publications are available as a free download by people in developing countries like Haiti.

Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions

Tools and Methods for Estimating Populations at Risk from Natural Disasters and Complex Humanitarian Crises

Guidance for Establishing Crisis Standards of Care for Use in Disaster Situations: A Letter Report (Free PDF)

Successful Response Starts with a Map: Improving Geospatial Support for Disaster Management (Free PDF)

Improving Disaster Management: The Role of IT in Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery (Free PDF)